Chapter Two:

The New School

"Sayonara Okasa-san. I'm leaving," Kara said walking out the door and walked to the barn.

"Are you riding Moon Fire to school?" Marie asked.

"Hai," Kara said as she swung her leg over Moon Fire's saddle into the other stirrup.

"Becareful about using your wrist while riding her and at school." Marie said as Moon Fire lifted herself up so she was standing instead of kneeling on the grass.

"Hai, you don't have to worry, Okasa-san." Kara said takng Moon Fire's reins and pulled them towards her right side to make Moon Fire shift towards the right side as she turned around. "Let's go Moon Fire." Kara said brushing her hand against the palamino's slender neck.

Moon Fire answered with a whinny as she started trotting towards Seigaku Acadamy.

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Eiji and Fuji arrived at school just in time to hear a group of people give out amazed gasps.

They looked and Eiji said with a smile on his face. "It's Kara-chan's horse Moon Fire."

"She's a pretty horse." Fuji smiled then said in a teasing tone to Eiji, "Just like Kara-chan. Right?"

"Ah, um," Eiji mumbled blushing.

They left and went towards the horse.

"Hey Kara-chan." Eiji said smiling at her.

Kara looked up and felt butterflies in her stomache as she heard Eiji's voice.

"Ohiyo, Eiji-kun." Kara said smiling at him.

Moon Fire whinnied as if she was saying hi to Eiji also.

"Ohiyo, Moon Fire." Eiji said smiling as he petted the horse.

Eiji held his hands out to Kara to help her off of Moon Fire.

"Arigatou, Eiji-kun." Kara said as she blushed remembering what happened the night before when Eiji had helped her off of Moon Fire.

"Ohiyo, Kara-chan." Fuji said smiling at Kara.

"Ohiyo, Fuji-kun." Kara said returning the smile.

"I didn't know you transfered here." Eiji said smiling at Kara.

"Today's my first day." Kara said looking at him.

"How about I show you to the Principal's office?" Eiji asked smiling at her.

"Sure," Kara said returning the smile.

"What about Moon Fire?" Eiji asked.

"She'll be okay." Kara said smiling at them. "She won't go anywhere without me."

Eiji had taken Kara to the principal's office so she could give him the transfer papers to the school.

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"Miss Tamiyaka?" The secretary called out.

Kara got up and went to the secretary.

"Mr. Saiyuka will see you now."

"Hai," Kara said bowing towards the secretary as she walked towards the principal's office.

"Miss Tamiyaka," Saiyuka said getting up and walked around his desk holding his outstretched hand to Kara in a freindly greeting.

"Hai," Kara said bowing to the principal.

"We had ordered a uniform for you." Saiyuka said handing Kara a green and white uniform with a red bow tie for the blouse. "Please be wearing it before homeroom starts."

"Hai." Kara said bowing towards her new principal.

She had left the principal's office and met up with Eiji, who decided to wait for her.

"You already have a new school uniform?" Eiji asked smiling.

"Hai, Okaasa called and ordered one in for me a week ago." Kara said smiling at Eiji.

"Did you get a schedual yet?" Eiji asked.

"Hai," Kara said handing Eiji a sheet of paper.

Eiji smiled as he noticed they both had the same homroome as Fuji, Tezuka, and Oishi.

"We have the same homeroom. I shall wait for you so I can show you where it is." Eiji said smiling at Kara.

"Arigatou, Eiji-kun." Kara said smiling as her cheeks added a light shade of red that was almost unnoticable.

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Kara and Eiji had walked to their homeroom.

She had recognized Fuji and Tezuka as soon as Kara saw them. There was one person Kara didn't recognize until she had seen his face.

Eiji walked Kara over to where they were talking.

"Ohiyo, minna." Eiji said walking towards the other guys.

"Ohiyo Eiji." Oishi said and smiled as he held his hand out towards Kara. "My name is Oishi. Nice to meet you, Kara-chan."

"Nice to meet you too, Oishi-kun." Kara said smiling in return as she shook his hand.

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"Everyone get to your seats. We have a new student joining us." The teacher paused then called out, "Kara Takamine? Would you please come to the front of the class."

Kara got up and walked towards the front of the classroom.

Eiji smiled as she turned and faced the classroom.

Fuji sat next to Eiji and leaned over whispering in his ear. "You're in love Eiji-chan."

"I am not." Eiji said blushing a deep shade of red. "I just think of Kara-chan like a friend."

"I've know you for a very long time. I think I can tell when you really like someone." Fuji said smiling at Eiji.

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The rest of the day seemed to go fast.

Kara had met the other members of Segaku during lunch break.

Kara had noticed that both she and Eiji had the same exact classes together.

"Ahh, "I'll be back Kara-chan." Eiji said smiling at her.

"Okay." Kara said returning the smile as she felt her stomache tighten with 'butterflies'.

Eiji came back a few minutes later dressed in his tennis uniform.

"Shall we go to the tennis courts?" Eiji asked smiling.

"Okay. But first I have to check on Moon Fire." Kara said smiling at him.

"Okay." Eiji said smiling at her.

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"Moon Fire," Kara called out.

She heard Moon Fire whinney over on the grass as the horse had gotten up and walked over to Kara and Eiji.

"I can't beleive she stayed here the whole time you were in school." Eiji said amazed as he saw how faithful the palamino was to Kara.

"She's always by my side. No matter where I am." Kara paused smiling at Eiji. "I had raised her since she was a foal out of her mother's belly. Her mother Moon Star was attacked one day by a mountain lion. We didn't know she died until we found her a few miles away from our farm. Since then, I've taken care of Moon Fire and I gave her her name as well."

"I see. So she thinks of you like a 'Mother' to her then?" Eiji asked then said smiling at Kara, "that's so kawaii."

Kara returned the smile as she said, "yeah. In a way she does."

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Kara and Eiji had walked to the tennis courts as Moon Fire fallowed behind them.

"That horse belongs to you Kara-chan?" Sakuno asked running towards Eiji and Kara.

"Hai," Kara said smiling at Sakuno.

"She's so pretty."

"Arigatou," Kara said smiling at Sakuno.

"Kara-chan?" Eiji asked smiling at her.

"Yeah?" She asked looking towards him as he took his jacket off.

"Could you hold this for me until practice is over for us?"

"Sure," Kara said smiling at Eiji as she felt her cheeks grow hot.

Fuji smiled and whispered to Ooshi and Tezuka.

They both looked at Kara and Eiji and smiled.

"They sure do make a cute couple." Ooshi said smiling at Tezuka and Fuji.

"Yeah," Fuji said nodding his head.

"It's easy to tell Kara-chan likes Eiji." Tezuka said with his eyes smiling even though he still held a serious tone in his voice.

Fuji smiled as Eiji walked up to them.

"So how are you and Kara-chan doing?" He asked in a teasing tone.

"Fuji!" Eiji whispered harshly. "We're not like thet. We're just friends." Eiji said while thinking to himself, "at least for now."

"Eiji, you're blushing. You've hardly ever become flustered before by our teasing." Oishi said smiling at his partner.

"I, uh." Eiji paused then said in a serious tone. "Let's just start practice."

"Okay," Oishi said smiling.

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"Arigatou Kara-chan. I appreciate you holding my jacket for me." Eiji said smiling at Kara.

"Sure," Kara said smiling back at him with her cheeks a little red as she handed him back his jacket.

"Moon Fire. You can go home ahead of me. Go on. You know your way back." Kara said smiling as she petted the horse on her neck.

Moon Fire whinneied as she nudged Kara then turned around and left to go home.

"Where's Moon Fire going, Kara-chan?" Fuji asked as he walked up to her.

"I had sent her home ahead of me." Kara said smiling at him. "She's a very smart horse. She's probably going to take the secret path we know."

"Secret path?" Fuji asked.

"She knows a secret path that's in the woods up there." Kara said pointing to a hill surrounded by trees.

"Oh. That's nice."

"Yeah. I had shown Eiji-kun the path yesterday." Kara said smiling at Fuji.

Fuji, Oishi, and Tezuka looked towards Eiji as they smiled at him.

Eiji looked towards them and smiled as he blushed.

Kara had started walking home with Eiji and everyone else.

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Eiji was the only person left with Kara as they walked home.

Kara had noticed someone watching her from an allyway.

"Bye, Eiji-kun. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Bye, Kara-chan." Eiji said smiling at her.

Kara was silent for a moment until Eiji had called out her name.

"What?" She asked looking at him.

"What's wrong? You seem like something's bothering you." Eiji asked as he looked at Kara worriedly.

"Eiji-kun?" Kara paused then asked blushing. "Would you be angry at me if I gave you something?"

"No. Why would I be mad?" Eiji asked looking at her.

"Do you remeber what I had told you yesterday on the path in my woods? About how I told you there was a member from your team I had liked?"

"Yes. You told me it was a secret because you thought he didn't know you existed." Eiji said looking at Kara.

"Well," Kara paused then faced Eiji as she blushed. She placed her arms around his neck and leaned up towards him and kissed him. "It is you that I like Eiji-kun." Kara paused saying as she felt tears begin to fill her eyes. But held them back so Eiji wouldn't see them. "Goodbye, Eiji-kun." She said leaving and went towards her home.

Eiji watched Kara and thought of the kiss wasn't really a kiss confessing Kara's feelings. But more of a kiss saying goodbye. But he decided not to think to much over it. He was glad Kara had told him her feelings. Now he just had to figure a way to tell her his own feelings for her.

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"Are you fallowing me now?" Kara asked as she stood face to face with her old school's tennis captain.

"Why would you say that Kara-chan?" Tamikan asked in an evil tone.

"Answer the question," Kara said back, not wanting to back down from the violent person standing in front of her.

"Are you sure you should be talking to me that way?" Tamikan asked grabbing Kara's injured wrist. And snapped it backwards. Breaking it completely.

Kara opened her mouth to scream. But Akira covered her mouth before the scream reached her throat.

"I shall destroy the members of Seigaku. Just as easily as your wrist." Akira said laughing as he walked out of the ally.

"Bastard!" Kara whispered angrily as she placed her fingers in her mouth blowing on them, whistling.

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Moon Fire was eating grass as she heard Kara's whistle in the distance.

She started galloping towards the area of where Kara's voice came from.

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Kara looked up as she heard Moon fire.

"Moon. Fire. Take. Me to. The. Hospital." Kara said in painful gasps.

Moon Fire had helped Kara get on top of her. Kara had enough strength to tie a rope around her waist and attach it to Moon Fire's saddle horn.

Kara had grabbed ahold of Moon Fire's mane and hung down low to keep her balance as Moon Fire raced to the hospital.

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Tezuka and Oishi were walking out of a store as they heard noises rushing towards them.

They looked up as they saw Kara hunched over her horse.

"Was that-?" Tezuka asked.

"Kara-chan!" Oishi said in a shocked voice.

They looked down at the ground and saw spots of blood.

"She's injured." Tezuka said as Oishi placed his fingers in the small puddle of blood on the ground.

"Let's go." Oishi paused then said getting up. "Eiji needs to know what's going on."

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"What do you mean she's at the hospital! She was just fine when I left her a half an hour ago." Eiji said.

"We don't know the details ourselves." Oishi said to Eiji. "All we know is what we saw. She was racing towards the hospital hunched over Moon Fire's back."

"Let's go." Eiji said.

They had gone to Kara's house first. After they told Marie what they saw. They left to go to the hospital.

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"What in the hell!" A doctor yelled as he saw a Palamino enter the hospital with a person hunched over her back.

"Bring a stretcher!" The doctor yelled as he took the young girl off of the saddle.

A group of doctors came with a stretcher. They came and took the girl to the emergency room.

The palamino walked back outside.

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"Moon Fire!" Marie called out.

The palamino looked towards Marie and everyone else. She then gave out a furious cry showing her anger.

"It's okay, girl." Marie said as she petted Moon Fire's neck.

Marie and the others went into the hospital.

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"Can i help you?" A nurse asked sitting at a front desk asked as she looked up from her desk.

"My daughter was brought in here earlier by her horse." Marie said to the nurse.

"Ah, yes. That child was immdeiately taken to the E.R." The nurse said.

"Is she okay?" Marie asked.

"Well, I really don't know. Since it was such an instant reaction to everyone in the hospital." The nurse paused then said as she saw the doctor that took Kara to the emergency room. "Dr. Kiritama, this is the mother to the young girl earlier."

"Ah, nice to meet you." Dr. Kiritama said bowing to Marie.

"How is Kara?" Marie asked.

"She's doing good. She had asked me to do two favors for her." The doctor paused then said, "the first favor is to only allow her mother to see her. And for the second favor is for me to ask Kikumaru-kun to forget about her."

"Eh? Nani?" Eiji asked with sadness in his eyes.

"She told me to tell you it was for your protection as well as your own teammates protection."

"Our protection? Form who?" Eiji asked.

"She wouldn't tell me." Kiritama said.

"I'll do some research. I should be able to figure out who she's afraid of," Inui said.

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"Kara?" Marie asked walking into her daughter's hospital room.

Kara opened her eyes to see her mother looking at her.

"I'm fine, Mom." Kara said looking away.

"Are you sure?" Marie asked even though it didn't sound like a question.

"I said I was fine." Kara said in a defiant tone.

But Marie wouldn't back down so easily.

"Why did you ask the doctor to tell Kikumaru-kun to forget about you?"

"The same reason I told the doctor to tell him. To protect him and the others."

"Why would you want the person you love to forget about you?" Marie asked as she sat next to Kara.

"Do I have to repeat myself?" Kara asked. "I'm going to sleep. I'm tired." Kara said as she turned over to face the other way.

"Alright. I'll leave you to sleep. I'll see you tomorrow." Marie said as she left Kara's room.

What she didn't notice was Kara's tears falling from her eyes.